Just before New Year's, my neighbor, knowing I work at a bank, asked me to add two zeros to her deposit.
At first, I honestly thought she was joking. Like, trying to be funny in that weird, awkward way she always was.
But a week later, my neighbor stormed into the bank and caused a full-blown scene, yelling about how someone had stolen her money. Screaming, crying, the whole nine yards.
My coworkers called me over to help clear things up.
The second I stepped into the room, she pointed straight at me and snapped, “You little brat. You pocketed part of the money I gave you, didn’t you?”
I was about to explain when my neighbor slapped me twice.
And not some light slap, either.
I’m talking full-force, years-of-farm-work-behind-it kind of slap.
“I saved that money for ages,” she yelled, her voice shaking. “And now two zeros are just gone? If you don’t fix this right now, we’ll see if you can even walk out of here today.”
What she didn’t know was that I’d already called her son. He works here in town, and I figured he’d want to know his mom was throwing punches at bank tellers.
And honestly?
With the district cracking down hard on discipline and employee conduct lately, I couldn’t help but wonder how her son even managed to keep showing up at work with a mom like that.
——
A week after New Year, I was off work due to a schedule change when my phone rang.
It was my coworker.
“Emily, you need to get down here, now! This woman is causing a huge scene in the lobby, saying she deposited with you before the holiday, but now two zeros are missing when she came to withdraw," she urged, her voice shaking.
Still half-asleep, lying in bed, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“No way! Deposits get counted by machines. Okay, maybe there’s a slip-up with one or two bills, but confusing a hundred with ten thousand? That’s impossible.”
My coworker pushed, “Just come over quickly. She says you handled her transaction, and the lobby’s a total mess. She’s yelling from one end of the room to another, and security can’t hold her back.”
I started to say, “Aren’t there records and surveillance cameras? How could she make such a fuss…” but before I could finish, my coworker hung up.
Well, I had no choice but to get up and get dressed in a hurry.
Walking through the living room, I suddenly remembered that before the New Year, my neighbor, Nancy Walker, came by to visit.
She congratulated me for landing a stable job right after graduation back home, saying it was great since it made it easier for me to take care of my grandfather.
Nancy even called me capable and caring, which made me smile.
Grandpa was at the town market that day, so I greeted Nancy while chatting politely.
Then she joked, “Who says girls nowadays aren’t as good as boys? Working at a bank sounds pretty impressive. When I come by to deposit money, you better add two extra zeros for me.”
I thought Nancy was kidding, but I still answered her thoughtfully, "There are strict rules, Ms. Walker. There's no way we can mess around like that."
So when Nancy really did come to make a deposit later, I triple-checked the amount with her.
She just laughed it off, saying, “Come on, I don’t even trust you, girl. I know exactly how much money I have.”
Then I quickly called my coworker again. “I’m on my way. What’s the woman's name?”
“Something like Nancy. Honestly, it’s enough—starting the year with this kind of drama,” my coworker replied in exasperation.
I rubbed my forehead and sighed.
When I started this job, people warned me to expect the unexpected in this line of work.
Turns out they were right.
I got my 'welcome gift' pretty early on.
Remembering Nancy’s infamous reputation from when she was raising her son on her own, I picked up my pace.
At the same time, I dialed her son, Darren Walker.
Nancy always struck me as the kind of single mom who knew how to be difficult when it suited her. She was constantly nitpicking over small stuff and trying to squeeze out an advantage.
But Darren?
He’s got a steady office job now. There’s no chance he’d passively allow his mom to create scenes, particularly with the district cracking down on employee behavior like this.
If I were in his shoes, I’d shut it down immediately. No way I’d let my mom embarrass me in public like that.
The call connected quickly.
Before I could even say a word, Darren's cold voice came through the line: “What is it? And if you’re trying to play connections, don’t come to me.”
I nearly tripped over my feet and had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. But I kept my voice calm and steady as I explained, “Your mom’s at the bank. She's causing a huge scene, Darren. It’s getting out of control. Thought you might want to come deal with her.”
